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More than 350 guests have been invited to view the multimillion dollar renovations at Greenham Tasmania’s Smithton plant this Saturday at 10am.
Attendees on the day will enjoy a tour of the new facilities until midday followed by lunch at the Circular Head Community and Recreation Centre before official proceedings.
One of the company’s most important customers is the Japanese Aleph restaurant chain who have won many awards for environmental and sustainability policies. President of Aleph Akio Shoji will represent the company which is particularly attracted to Tasmania’s clean and environmental credentials. Mr Shoji has flown to Australia specifically for the company’s renovation celebrations and it will be a chance for them to appreciate the environment and company’s innovative technology.
Guests will represent all stages of the beef supply chain including more than 300 farmers. Many of the farmers participate in Greenham’s Aleph program which involves registering cattle at an early age and then managing their development carefully to ensure they meet a very strict set of specifications.
Wholesalers from all mainland states will also be present. These companies sell Greenham’s Cape Grim and Tasmania Natural Beef to butchers and restaurants right across Australia including locally at Stanley Hotel to the heights of Neil Perry’s Rockpool Bar and Grill, Brent Farrell’s eponymous Toowong restaurant and Restaurant Two and Three Bistro in Brisbane.
All members of the Greenham board will also visit Smithton on the day including managing director Peter Greenham. Mr Greenham said the company wanted to celebrate the opening of the plant and also provide farmers and customers with an opportunity to meet each other and exchange information. This is part of the company’s ethos to establish a partnership between the farmers who grow the animals and the customers who handle distribution both nationally and overseas.
For many of these farmers it will be the first time they have had the opportunity to talk with the owners of the Japanese chain that serves their beef in over 100 restaurants.
The guided tour will continue until midday when guests will move to the CHCRC where lunch, with Greenham’s beef the star ingredient, will be served before official proceedings commence at 2pm.
By Circular Head Chronicle


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The Star Group of Companies is taking its first step in the plastic conversation, leading with the theme, ‘let’s reduce plastic together’ at the CPMA trade show in Montreal, Canada. Recognizing there is an industry problem throughout the supply chain, The Star Group is examining the current state of plastics, plastic reduction and partnering with pure science to innovate for the future.
Consumer education is a monumental task. Star Group is focusing on science-based solutions to come up with great alternatives to package fresh produce. Harmonizing its plastic into a single stream and bio-based solutions where plastic is made out of feedstock is clearly the future.
"We are shifting our focus internally and looking at innovation through a different lens," said David Karwacki, CEO of The Star Group. "By engaging customers, suppliers and pure science we can come up with eloquent solutions that consumers will love. We all know that people want to make a difference in reducing plastic. As an industry if we join together we can make changes quickly."
To date, the Star Group has continually implemented top seal on multiple products resulting in a 30 percent reduction in plastic per container. It’s also launched Inspired Greens whole head lettuce in recyclable sleeves, transforming 2 million potential pounds of PETE plastic to under 100,000 pounds of recyclable sleeves.
Other initiatives include: reductions in the gage of plastic in packaging resulting in up to 11 percent reduction per punnet; invested in pallet wrapping machines that use recyclable wrap in all facilities that consistently and efficiently wrap pallets. (This has resulted in a 60 percent reduction of plastic wrap.); cardboard and plastic in all facilities is bailed and recycled; all organic waste is composted; offices recycle paper, plastic, refundable containers and have eliminated plastic water bottles.
The Star Group is looking for new and better ways to innovate in all products. This includes finding next generation packaging options that will truly make a difference.

domain: news


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The European Commission released its latest statistics for goods suspected of infringing intellectual property rights intercepted in 2009 by EU Customs.
The most frequently detained articles include cigarettes (19%), labels (13%) and medicines (10%). As in Australia, more and more of the products detained by customs are consumer goods and not just luxury goods like in the past.
Although the number of goods suspected of infringing intellectual property rights in 2009 decreased to 118 million articles, (178 million articles in 2008), these figures have to be viewed in the context of the Global economic crisis which had a big impact on the amount of goods imported into the EU.
64% of the total amount of articles detained were identified as coming from China. Other countries of provenance include Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The number of cases in postal transport continued to grow strongly, presumably boosted by orders on the internet.
Click here to see the full report [PDF].


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Kendall Jenner is rumoured to have just scored one of her biggest fashion contracts to date – she’s the new face of Calvin Klein.
It’s the all-American label that’s worked with some of the most legendary style icons in history, including Kate Moss and Lara Stone. And now, the 19-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star is the latest to impress.
Sources have told Page Six that Kendall has signed on to be the face (and body) for the underwear brand. And we’re not surprised.
Who can forget the model’s #MyCalvins Instagram snap from last year that nearly broke the Internet? Yep, us neither. In fact, Jenner’s been working her CK wares on Instagram for years.
And with her inherent laid-back cool and love of a classic shirt and well-fitting jeans, Kendall seems the perfect fit for the US heritage brand.
Justin Bieber was their surprise pick of last year, with him and Ms Stone appearing on billboards in a steamy clinch for Calvin Klein Jeans, so we can’t wait to see what they do with Kendall.
In other news, Kendall’s just revealed her biggest model problem to Elle.com. Walking in heels, due to her rather unusual feet…
”t’s kind of painful! I’ll be honest’, she said, before admitting: ‘I have the longest toes in the world; they’re spider toes. They are. I have spider fingers, too! So they’re kind of being crunched right now.’
Kendall also confessed why we always see her working the same pose on the red carpet, which involves her crossing one foot behind the other in cool nonchalance.
‘It’s because the shoes are good. They’re Manolo Blahniks’, she says, explaining why she’s able to strut so well in heels. ‘And they’re high. So I switch off from one foot to another a lot, like this. [She crosses one foot behind the other in her now-signature pose.] You have to keep moving your feet!’


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You can now watch R.K. Narayan's Malgudi Days on your Reliance handset. Reliance Communication Ventures Ltd has announced the launch of India's first mobi-serial on the Reliance Mobile World.
The launch coincides with the birth centenary of the acclaimed Indian author. A Reliance Communications spokesperson said, "It is our constant endeavour to enhance the suite of value-added services on the Reliance Mobile World platform, in order to offer a superior experience to our customers".
The company believes that mobile TV has huge potential in India as customers have an appetite for entertainment content.
"This is a step forward to tap the huge demand and customers can look forward to a variety of applications in near future," the spokesperson added.
For accessing the mobi-serial, a nominal charge of Rs 6 per minute will be applicable.
The mobi-serial as well as caller ring back tones, ringtones, wallpapers, video clips can be accessed in the `Hot N New' section on Reliance Mobile World under the `Malgudi Days' option. Each video clip and ring tone download would be charged Rs 7 whereas Rs 5 would be charged per wallpaper download.


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FORT LAUDERDALE -- Going kosher has been good for Lola, an easy going 7-year-old Dalmatian. But it's paying off handsomely for her owners.
Martine Lacombe and Marc Michels are not Jewish, but in three years they have become the unlikely purveyors of kosher dog and cat food, which they sell via the Internet and in a couple of South Florida pet food stores.
Business is going so well that a few months ago Michels quit his job selling telecommunications equipment to devote all his time to the family business. Last fall, the couple patented the recipes for their freeze-dried all-meat patties and found a kosher-friendly manufacturer to churn out production quantities of their creations.
And, just in time for Passover, Kosher Pets has gained the blessing of one of the largest orthodox rabbi groups in the United States.
"There's no real need for kosher pet food, but there's a real demand," Lacombe said. "This Passover is kind of a test for us."
By most accounts, Kosher Pets is the only U.S. company currently producing a line of pet food specifically created to adhere to Jewish dietary laws, which prohibit eating any food where dairy and meat are mixed. Generally only food for human consumption needs to be kosher, but the dietary laws can be interpreted to apply to pets, especially during Passover.
Michels, 36, and Lacombe, 31, owe their business in part to a nasty skin irritation that gripped Lola in early 1999. At the time, the couple lived in Aventura, a city in northeast Miami-Dade County with a considerable Jewish population, and had taken a liking to kosher products, especially kosher meats.
"We realized that the taste is much, much better," Michels said.
He suggested changing Lola's diet might help her condition, and the couple began to feed her a homemade stew of kosher chicken, garlic, rice and carrots.
Within about a month and a half, Lola's sores subsided, and pet lovers at their neighborhood dog park took note, asking Lacombe for samples of the stew.
"That got totally crazy," Lacombe said.
The couple began making more stew, at first giving it away, then selling it in mason jars from the trunk of their car. Sometimes customers came to the couple's home or they made deliveries.
Eventually, they turned to a kosher butcher shop that agreed to make their stew, producing four cases of 24 15-ounce cans per week at one point, Lacombe said.
The wake-up call came when many of the couple's customers left their winter condominiums to return to New York or New Jersey for the summer, but still sought to buy the kosher stew for their pets.
"This is when we really realized that this is a business, this is not just feeding the neighborhood dogs," Lacombe said. They had about 300 regular customers at the time.
Lacombe estimates Kosher Pets had about $420,000 in sales between February 1999 and mid-2000, when the couple took a year hiatus from their business. Their butcher sold his shop and the new owner decided not to make pet food. Lacombe also became pregnant with their now 6 1/2 month-old daughter, Leah.
In the interim, Lacombe said they reconsidered their business plan, realizing if they wanted to make a living with Kosher Pets they would have to find a cheap way to sell and ship their product out of state.
Another issue to tackle: to thoroughly reach their Jewish market, they needed to find a way to promote their food as not only kosher, but kosher for Passover.
During Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating the freeing of Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, Jews are also forbidden from eating or benefiting from anything containing chametz, a group of leaven grains.
"You are not supposed to have any benefit, and that includes feeding it to your animal," said Arlene J. Mathes-Scharf, who runs a kosher food information Web site. Kosher Pets currently pays for a banner ad there.
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us


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Charlotte Wedding Professionals Pivot To Meet New Industry Needs
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – “One of my friends is like, ‘you have to pivot!’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t know how to pivot,'” says Critsey Rowe. But the highly sought-after Charlotte-based photographer is figuring it out. Rowe will do something she’s never done before this Sunday: she’ll be a featured vendor in a virtual wedding show.
She says, “There’s never been anything like it that I know of.” With months of wedding photography income wiped off the calendar: “March, April, May, June, all has been postponed to later this year,” she says, the once recession-proof wedding industry has met its match in the coronavirus.
Photographer and The Charlotte Virtual Wedding Show co-creator Cass Bradley tells WCCB News @ Ten anchor Morgan Fogarty, “We’re just trying to bring something positive and useful and allow people to maybe go about their lives just a little bit right now.”
Bradley helped bring the virtual show to life by combining two things: the battered wedding industry and couples that still want to happily plan. “It’s just forcing us to look at the industry a little bit different,” she says. And perhaps trail-blazing along the way. After researching how to host a virtual wedding show and finding nothing online, Bradley says this may be an industry first. “We certainly know it’s the first virtual wedding show in Charlotte and as best we can tell, we can’t find anything else in the world that exists,” says Bradley.
Almost two dozen other vendors will join Rowe Sunday, as she works to stay positive, not just for herself, not just for engaged couples, but for everyone. She says, “This’ll pass. And I think they should find the little things to celebrate and be grateful for.”
Sunday’s virtual wedding show runs from 2PM to 4PM and will be done via Zoom. It’ll include a panel discussion, a gown showcase, giveaways and more. Sign up requires a donation of $8, which will be given to Loaves and Fishes.


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Darnell's bum boast
- Bang Showbiz
- 7 June 2008
Darnell is proud of his bum.
The US deportee's cheeky confession came last night (06.06.08) after fellow 'Big Brother' housemate Rachel said she feels society doesn't teach people to love themselves enough.
Darnell - who suffers from albinism, a hereditary congenital disorder, which leaves sufferers completely white due to a lack of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair - said: "I do kind of like my a**."
Songwriter Darnell has previously given himself "three out of 10" for physical attractiveness because he is "way too skinny with a massive head".
And he's not the only housemate with a complex about the way he looks.
Cookie-mad Kathreya, who is originally from Thailand, has vowed to lose weight before her wedding next year because she "looks like a potato".
She said: "I want to lose half of me."
Last night, celebrity obsessed Rebecca - who was threatened with a restraining order by boy band Hanson for camping outside their hotel rooms - said her hair "looks like it's been dipped in chip fat".
And fitness fanatic Lisa has been spending a lot of time exercising in the garden after saying her stomach "looks a bit podgy".
© BANG Media International


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Q&A with Tanguy Pincemin, Head of Media, EMEA
As consumers’ lives are becoming increasingly mobile, and the shopping journey becomes more complex and less linear, selecting the right media is essential for brand success. That’s why this month, for our 3 minute interview, we talked with Tanguy Pincemin, Managing Director for Media in Europe, to learn more about the trends that will dominate the retail media market, and how these will impact retailers and brands.
What are the greatest opportunities and challenges for retailers and brands in the EMEA region at the moment?
The challenges in retail are well known – balancing shrinking margins with increasing operating costs and a stream of new competition in terms of online players. For traditional grocery retailers in particular, the growth of discount chains such as Aldi and Lidl is a concern, with nearly a 13% market share vs the 4% they had a decade ago. By 2023 they are predicted to operate a greater floor space in Europe than all existing hypermarkets combined. And as their highly competitive prices continue to drive popularity with shoppers, traditional retailers will be forced to look closely at their own value propositions and seek to differentiate their offer to remain relevant.
We’re also witnessing a growing number of alliances and partnerships between retailers, which allows greater buying power and lower costs. Another key strategic move to optimise operations and secure market share.
Data is driving the greatest opportunity for brands, as it creates a new value chain built around the Customer. The proliferation of customer data, generated by numerous touchpoints both online and offline, and the increased technical capabilities to enable harnessing of these different data sources is opening up new ways for targeting consumers, based on granular behavioural insights. With data powering new business models which are built around personalization of the user experience, brands can create engagement on new levels.
With shopper behaviour changing, what factors do you think retailers and brands should prioritise?
Mobile is now the critical touchpoint for online purchasing and customer engagement for many consumers, particularly in European countries with high smartphone penetration such as the Nordics and with rapid mobile growth such as Spain. To ensure they provide a seamless experience for customers as they move between digital and physical shopping environments, retailers need to make sure this channel features prominently in their strategies.
Also, as the digital environment becomes increasingly busy, and brand visibility becomes more challenging, it’s even more important for brands to be harnessing media more effectively to target the right audience with the right message at the right time. As the physical store environment begins to change, with retailers dedicating more floor space to experiences, brands need to start using stores as showcasing stages in order to drive engagement both online and offline. Increasingly retailers and brands should be providing proximity, speed, reliability and convenience to succeed with shoppers, ultimately giving greater choice with ordering, purchasing and fulfilment processes.
And, of course with data now being the enabler for optimization across all elements of retail from supply chain to marketing, retailers and brands can’t afford not to adopt data-driven approaches for their strategic decision-making.
Why is retail media becoming so important for brands?
Every brand wants to increase loyalty and grow their sales, and one of the best ways to do this is to connect with shoppers at multiple touchpoints along the shopping journey. While we know that more than 75% of grocery shoppers make purchase decisions at shelf, the consideration phase does not simply start and end in-store. As much as 56% of in-store sales are influenced by digital interactions, meaning that brands need to be reaching shoppers in different ways, in different channels. Delivering exceptional, personalised experiences from sofa to store is essential.
Integrated retail media enables brands to make a greater impact and create a consistent shopper experience via many channels, driving brand preference and purchase intention. Multi-touch attribution measurement helps brands understand the impact of their campaigns on customer buying behavior. By learning and improving with each campaign evaluation, brands will optimise reach, engagement and sales.
What are the biggest trends in retail media and how do you expect the market to change in the near future?
As it continues to grow, Amazon will gain more and more importance in the retail media space in Europe, competing with Google and Facebook as a desired top advertising platform for brands. As the media landscape changes, brands will want to diversify their presence and advertise on other media platforms. This opens up the opportunity for real growth in the retail media space.
Looking at how retailers are evolving, particularly in their ability to collect customer data from many touchpoints in the shopping journey, it’s likely that more of them will take a closer look at either starting their own retail media business or scaling up their existing media operations. By maximizing their data and store real-estate assets, they will not only open up a significant new revenue stream, (generating predicted additional income of up to 1% of their total sales) but will create a media platform that can cover the full customer journey – from digital, to non-digital, to store.
In the end, the consumer will be the biggest winner, if brands and retailers can work in sync to deliver a much more relevant and personalized shopping experience using customer data science to drive action based on true insights.


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Research links processed starch to dental caries
NEWCASTLE, UK: Given the abundance of dietary recommendations that can be accessed these days, understanding what we should and should not eat can be a difficult task. It may come as a welcome surprise, then, that a recent review commissioned by the World Health Organization has shown that a diet rich in wholegrain carbohydrates is less likely to negatively impact oral health than a diet high in processed carbohydrates.
The findings come from a review of 33 papers on starch and oral health, conducted by researchers at Newcastle University. The analysed papers were studies of foods containing rapidly digestible starches, such as white bread, cake and pretzels, or slowly digestible starches, such as legumes and whole grains, and these foods’ relationships with dental caries, oral cancer and periodontal disease.
The researchers found that there was no evidence to suggest an association between the amount of starch eaten and dental caries. However, rapidly digestible starches were linked to an increased risk of dental cavities, since amylase, a component of saliva, is able to break these starches down into sugars.
Further findings from the review suggested that slowly digestible starches might offer protection against periodontal disease and lead to a lower risk of oral cancer. However, these findings are based on fewer available studies and weaker data.
“Despite an ill-advised fashion for eliminating carbohydrates from the diet, a carbohydrate-rich diet is shown to be fine for oral health so long as it is low in sugars and is based on wholegrain varieties of carbs such as pasta, couscous and wholemeal bread,” said lead researcher Dr Paula Moynihan, Professor of Nutrition and Oral Health at Newcastle University’s School of Dental Sciences.
“The key for shoppers is to look for wholemeal and wholegrain on the labels,” Moynihan added.
The WHO is in the process of updating its guidance regarding carbohydrate consumption. Currently, it recommends keeping free sugar intake—sugars added in the manufacturing process or present in fruit juice, honey and syrups—to less than 10 per cent of one’s daily caloric intake.
The paper, titled “Effects of starch on oral health: Systematic review to inform WHO guideline”, was published online in the Journal of Dental Research on 3 August 2018 ahead of inclusion in an issue.


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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has signalled that it is in favour of approving further controversial genetically engineered maize variants produced by Corteva (DowDupont). The recent EFSA opinions published in January 2019, deal with two approval applications for maize developed through cross-breeding to combine several genetically engineered traits. The plants are resistant to up to four groups of herbicides (glyphosate, glufosinate, 2,4-D and AOPP) and produce up to six insecticides.
The genetically engineered maize is a crucial element of a business strategy that couples the marketing of patented seeds with herbicides. This concept has serious consequences for the protection of health and the environment: the plants inherit resistance to several herbicides and can therefore be sprayed with high dosages and mixtures of specific herbicides. Consequently, the residues from spraying will be present in the harvest, as will the insecticidal toxins produced in the maize.
In previous decision making the EU Commission has already approved several maize variants with similar characteristics. None of these were ever tested for combinatorial effects on health from mixtures of the toxic constituents in the respective food and feed products. The EU Commission, EFSA and industry are of the opinion that detailed investigations of the combinatorial effects are not necessary.
However, this assumption is highly questionable. Just recently, documents were published showing that EFSA had not correctly assessed immune system responses to Bt toxins. Currently, it cannot be ruled out that Bt toxins trigger allergies and other immune responses. Very high concentrations of Bt toxins can be found in some products derived from the maize. In addition, the health risks from the residues of spraying are still being discussed by scientists, and crucial data needed to conclude on safety are missing.
“Instead of giving priority to the protection of health and the environment, EFSA is paving the way for international trade and corporate interests,” says Christoph Then for Testbiotech. “And despite the majority of EU Member States and the EU Parliament repeatedly voting against imports of these crop plants, it is highly likely that the EU Commission will again give its approval.”
Currently, Testbiotech is aiming to make more detailed investigations mandatory for genetically engineered plants in a case brought before the EU court (case C-82/17 P). Unfortunately, as stated by the Attorney General in 2018, the EU Court does not seem to be in a position to request a further, more detailed risk assessment. The final decision of the court is expected in 2019.
Note: An earlier version of the press release contained the claim that the maize lines are being marketed by Bayer (Monsanto). Although Bayer holds substantial patents for these plants through the acquisition of Monsanto, it is not the official applicant.
Christoph Then, Tel. +49 (0) 151 54638040, firstname.lastname@example.org


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As the Food and Drug Administration works to finalize draft guidance related to the development of biosimilar products, pharmacy groups recently weighed in with recommendations to facilitate the entry of lower-cost products into the biologic and specialty pharmaceutical markets.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation that reauthorizes the Food and Drug Administration’s prescription drug user fee programs that are scheduled to expire in September. H.R. 5651 passed the House by a vote of 387 to 5.
Ric Jurgens spent the past 43 years working for and building Hy-Vee into a strong regional chain, and later this summer his accomplishments will be acknowledged by the Grocery Manufacturers Association when he receives the organization’s Hall of Achievement Award.
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday warned parents against administering benzocaine to their teething babies and advised that parents not use benzocaine at all in children under the age of 2 years unless under the supervision of a family physician.
Tris Pharma on Thursday announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its generic equivalent to Reckitt Benckiser's Delsym, an extended-release oral liquid suspension containing dextromethorphan.


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The Information Web site published this week, a detailed review of the United States two major social networking Facebook and Snap a series of recent disputes. Facebook large-scale "cottage" Snap function, and Snap expressed strong dissatisfaction with this. Behind all this reveals the anxiety of the two social networks on how to drive the growth of users and how to make users share more content.
The following is the full text of the article:
In recent weeks, Facebook and Snap between the tit for tat is relatively white. Evan Spiegel's fiancee, supermodel Miranda & middot; Miranda Kerr publicly attacked Facebook, while Snapchat head of product Tom & middot; Kang Tom Conrad (Tom Conrad) on Facebook's Instagram launched a storm. On the other hand, some Facebook employees on the company's application of "Snapchat" performance disdain.
This tit for tat is also an important issue for the two companies. At present, Facebook and Snap are exploring how to achieve the next stage of growth, the definition of consumer Internet future development.
For Facebook, the attack on the competitors that the company can not rely on their own power to reverse the user to share less and less trends. The outside world will be further concerned about whether Facebook has the ability to continue to innovate, not just the acquisition of start-up companies, or imitate the opponent's products.
And for Snap, the company's growth is slowing. It is not clear at the moment whether such unfavorable trends can be changed. If a larger competitor can mimic its most popular features and succeed, what is the advantage of Snap, that is, how long will it be for young users?
& Nbsp; young team & rdquo;
Facebook on the Snap & ldquo; cottage "can be traced back to a few years ago.
The frequency at which users share personal content is declining. According to the information provided by the source, from the middle of 2014 to mid-2015, Facebook users on the platform to share personal content (non-point to the external article link) decreased by 21%, and by 2016 in April again reduced by 15% The Instagram platform is also very similar to the situation.
Multiple teams were asked to come up with countermeasures. It is reported that, as one of the initiatives, Facebook tried to give users more control, allowing users to decide who can view their published content. The company hopes that this will enable users to share more content for small groups.
However, this did not work. User research shows that the new option makes the user puzzled. Because the user has accumulated too much "friends & rdquo ;, so in the decision who can view their published content, they often have no way to start.
The study also shows that the "" function can be used to help Facebook applications. " In such circumstances, the user will be willing to share more content, and will not consider who will see. This feature is very similar to Snapchat.
At the same time, Snapchat grew very fast. In 2013, Facebook CEO Mark & middot; Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) had tried to buy Snapchat, but did not succeed. According to a Facebook front-end staff to provide information, Facebook's internal data analysis and research tools show that the number of active users to share the point of view, Snapchat better than Facebook. The former employee said the data was "frightening".
Facebook executives are also worried that Snapchat will master the user's "social map", that is, a large part of a friend relationship.
Facebook's former staff revealed that in mid-2016, Facebook set up a "young team", which includes more than 100 employees. The team's task is to make Facebook applications more attractive to young people. But it is not clear that this team on Facebook's product strategy, how much influence.
Instagram decided to stand out and develop code-named & quot; Kodachrome & quot; function. Instagram CEO Kevin & middot; Kevin Systrom has for many years declined to make a big change to the product, but his attitude is slowly changing.
With this feature, users' shared photos and videos with filters or stickers will automatically disappear after 24 hours, which is exactly the way for Snapchat. In the past, the content that the user shares to the Instagram message flow will persist. In addition, Instagram also provides a number of Snapchat Stories-like control functions, such as by clicking to quickly switch photos, and slide up on the photos to send messages to others.
Facebook does not cover this. After the Instagram Stories feature was launched, Hestrom was bluntly, and Snapchat was worthy of all the prestige. "The problem is not who invented these things. This is about the form, how do you apply it to a network and stamp your own mark. & Rdquo;
This has been effective. Facebook's internal analysis shows that Instagram Stories features blocking Snapchat's application installs, especially in developing countries. In January this year, Instagram announced that the number of active users in this function has reached 150 million. This means that about 38% of Instagram users use this feature at least every day. (Another more important internal indicator, that is, the number of active users to share is still unclear.)
Nike and other brands on this new features openly appreciated. Many stars also pointed out that, because Instagram willing to provide labels and outside the chain function, they Instagram content on the number of views than Snapchat higher. Social marketing platform Captiv8 CEO Krishna & middot; Krishna Subramanian said that compared to Snapchat, "the way of Instagram is more friendly to the brand & rdquo ;.
Facebook, a person said, Facebook staff will comfort themselves, this is the right strategy. They would say that "do not have to be proud to be unwilling to imitate & rdquo ;.
Soon, to Facebook's chief product officer Chris & middot; Cox (Chris Cox) reported "friends to share" ralph lauren pas cher, the team also accepted this idea. The head of the team is Zuckerberg's long-standing close friend Kang-Xing Jin.
Soon after, they developed the Facebook Stories feature. With this feature, users can publish filters or videos with filters, which will disappear after 24 hours, just like Snapchat. This feature was released on the basis of last month's message flow. Almost the same time, the Messenger team also introduced a similar feature, that is, Messenger Day.
Not everyone welcomes these features. According to sources, in some private groups, there are Facebook employees before the show, in Facebook's application to join this feature looks strange, and brought confusion.
Facebook and Snap spokespersons declined to comment on this article.
At the same time, in the Snap, the main competitors of the aggressive so many people worry that the company can no longer quickly to attract new users. Since the listing last month, Snap stock has been hovering around $ 20, lower than the market price of the first day of listing. Analysts give Snap stock's "sell & rdquo; rating mostly taking into account the competitive pressure from Facebook.
Concerns about future growth are seen only a few months ago. Last August, before the introduction of Instagram Stories, Snap set up a team trying to solve the problem of slowing the growth of new users and reporting the results to executives.
The report shows that in developing markets such as Brazil, Snapchat users spend less time on their applications, while unloading increases.
Evan & middot; spike and his design team made a response, removing the Auto Advance feature. This feature will be different friends of the story & rdquo; blend together. Although this can encourage users to consume more content, but also often as a spread of spam. In addition, Snap also started to solve the Android application to load slow, easy to flash the problem.
While Facebook continues to "cottage" Snap at the same time, Snap management called on employees to adhere to in the end. In January this year, at the full meeting of the new office in Santa Monica Airport, an employee raised questions to everyone on the spy: what is the most serious external threat facing the company? According to the memories of the two people, Spiel gives the answer is "focus" and not Facebook.
For Snap, this means continuing to develop new features, attracting young users at the core, and being the most active users. Snap employees remind themselves that Facebook has tried in the past "cottage" Snapchat. In 2012, Facebook has launched a "l" after the photos "and the use of Poke, but this application is not a good performance later.
In this battle, Snap Project Director Tim & Middot; Tim Sehn (Tim Sehn) had a speech last summer, inspired his team.
A few days after the Instagram Stories feature, Thain stressed in his speech to the engineering team that there was a need to continue to improve on the basis of the current plan, including better addressing vulnerabilities, ensuring that the product version was released on a regular basis and resolved Android application issues.
But in private, Snap employees are paying close attention to Facebook's attitude to Stories. Some Snap employees said that after adding a few additional new features, Instagram took a more beautiful version.
However, this did not make Swept. According to sources, he refuses to add a feature like Instagram to the Stories feature. He says it makes people feel like spam, and that users can not focus on the Snapchat message itself.
According to a former Snap employee, the study of Instagram Stories is like a mirror, and the mirror is a younger, more energetic person for Snap insiders.
Snap's dissatisfaction with Facebook is occasionally publicized. Last month, Facebook's behavior seemed to make Snap product vice president Tom & middot; Conrad was seriously unhappy. He is a direct message in a Twitter message Instagram product vice president Kevin & middot; Weier (Kevin Weil), said Instagram plagiarism of the Snapchat Stories function. Conrad then deleted the Twitter message.
Although the Stories feature infuses Instagram into a new life, Facebook's other applications are still faced with how to drive the user to share the pressure. In addition to the new Stories, Facebook is highlighting the photo platform, including mask features and other filter effects. Facebook may also be announced next week at the F8 Developer Conference.
A Facebook employee who has a close relationship with friends to share the team says Facebook is trying to find a trick, but it's not yet able to do it.


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The Pinehills Village Green Continues to Grow with Full Service Grocery Market
Market to fill niche for Fresh, Local Foods and Customer Service
PLYMOUTH, MA (July 10, 2007) --- Pinehills LLC has announced plans to open a full service grocery market focusing on fresh and local produce, seafood, meats, cheeses, baked goods and more, to serve the Plymouth and South Shore communities. The 13,000 sf store is reminiscent of a vintage New England barn," says Tony Green, managing partner of Pinehills LLC. "The market is a tremendous addition to the existing Village Green retail shops, services, U.S. Post Office and businesses." The market is being designed and operated by Michael Szathmary, who was director of operations for Legal Seafoods Marketplace during the 80s and influential in the launch of the Nature's Heartland market in the early 90s, as well as his own Boston-area market/cafes called Zathmary's. "It will be the quintessential New England grocery store and will carry a wide array of the freshest, local, domestic and imported food items", says Szathmary.
There will be a strong emphasis on the selection of fresh foods and customer service. The market will include: a full service seafood and butcher shop style meat department, prepared foods featuring chef's daily specials for lunch and dinner, imported and domestic cheeses, a full service style bakery, sushi made to order and everyday grocery needs. "The key word here is fresh, fresh, fresh," says Szathmary. "Our market is reminiscent of the days when you visited your local purveyor and received personal service and selection." Customers will find:
- A full-service deli and meat department with an on-site butcher
- Fresh seafood delivered daily
- A full-service bakery with fresh breads and baked goods baked on premise, along with selected items from some of the regions top bakeries
- Best selection of fruits and vegetables including locally grown when available
- Daily hot and cold prepared foods cooked in the on-site kitchen including Rotisserie chicken and a full array of salads, entrees and side dishes
- General groceries such as dry goods, canned goods, frozen foods, paper goods, dairy, etc.
"Our commitment is to selection, quality and service," says Szathmary.
In addition to the market, a new 43,000 sq. ft. tennis and fitness club is already under construction. With steel already in place, The Village Racquet and Fitness Club (vfrclub.com) will open later this year. The club is membership based and is open to the public. Both the fitness club and the market add to the list of regional businesses now part of this award winning mixed-use community.


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People may not realize it but the Internet of Things is already gaining traction and slowly influencing how people live in this connected world. Right now, its perceived advantages may far outweigh its feared drawbacks. Some analysts even called the up-and-coming technological paradigm shift as bigger than the Industrial Revolution.
The Internet of Things pertains to the concept of devices connected to the Internet where data gathered by such devices are reported to users. People can then act on the said data or the devices themselves are empowered to act on it. The ease of data transmission, reception and implementation are all meant to improve people’s quality of lives. Kevin Ashton is the person widely credited for coining the phrase in 1999 while working for Procter & Gamble. Since then, the phrase caught on and was used in a variety of articles, which appeared in scientific and academic journals.
Right now, many smart devices like laptops, smart phones and tablets communicate with each other through the use of Wi-Fi internet technology. Transfer these technological capabilities into ordinary household gadgets like refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, thermostat, door locks among others, equip these with their own computer chips, software and access to the Internet and a “smart home” now comes to life.
Many gadgets comprising the smart home totality are now being offered in the market. One example is the Nest thermostat where it adjusts household temperature depending on usage patterns and billing rates. The Nest thermostat can be controlled using a mobile app. Recently, Nest which, was bought by Google for $3.2 billion, has expanded to include smart smoke detectors in its product offerings as part of its smart-home solutions. LG Electronics, the South Korean firm, is also now offering users the ability to control their appliances by way of text messages.
The Internet of Things can only work if these gadgets and devices start interacting with each other through a networked system. The AllSeen Alliance, a nonprofit organization devoted to the adoption of the Internet of Things, is facilitating to make sure that companies like Cisco, Sharp and Panasonic are manufacturing products compatible with a networked system and to ensure that these products can interact with each other. Gartner, the research company, estimates that by year 2020, there will be 30 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things.
The advantages of course of these highly networked and connected devices mean productive and enhanced quality of lives for people. For example, health monitoring can be rather easy with connected RX bottles and medicine cabinets. Doctors supervising patients can monitor their medicine intake as well as measure blood pressure, sugar levels and alert them when something goes wrong to their patients online.
In the aspect of energy conservation, household appliances can suggest optimal setting based on the user’s energy consumption like turning the ideal temperature just before the owner arrives home as well as turning on and off the lights whenever the owner is out on vacation just to create the impression that somebody is still left inside the house to prevent burglars from attempting to enter.
Smart refrigerators, on the other hand, can suggest food supplies that are low on inventory and needs immediate replenishment. The suggestions are based on the user’s historical purchasing behavior and trends. Wearable technology are also part of this Internet of Things, where these devices can monitor sleeping patterns, workout measurements, sugar levels, blood pressure and connecting these data to the user’s social media accounts for tracking purposes.
Compare these advantages to its feared drawbacks like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging each item to be placed inside the smart refrigerator, each piece of clothing to be placed inside a smart closet or medicines inside a smart medicine cabinet are just too taxing an activity for many.
The other disadvantage is the fact that most devices are not yet ready to communicate with another brand of devices. Specific products can only be networked with their fellow products under the same brand name. It is good that AllSeen Alliance is making sure connectivity happens but the reality of a “universal remote control” for all these devices and products is still in its infantile development.
The most important drawback with regard to the full implementation of the Internet of Things is with regard to the privacy and security issue. Smart home devices have the ability to devour a lot of data and information about a user. These data can include personal schedules, shopping habits, medicine intake schedule and even location of the user at any given time. If these data fall into the wrong hands great harm and damage can be done to people.
It is indeed wonderful to know that technology is working for people and not against people. Despite these perceived and oftentimes realistic disadvantages, people and companies responsible in implementing the Internet of Things must work together to minimize such risks from happening. The Internet of Things has its own advantages that may far outweigh its various drawbacks. It only takes an extra effort from everyone involved.
By Roberto I. Belda


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Bike2 Starts Shipping Chainless Hybrid Drive E-Bike System
SONDERBORG, Denmark – The Danish company Bike2 started delivery of what the company calls its ‘revolutionary Series Hybrid Drive System’ to bicycle manufacturers. The Bike2 system that won the Seoul Cycle Design competition 2010 is claimed to be the first serial production of an all-electric transmission ready to be implemented and commercialised by bicycle manufacturers.
After an initial phase with distribution of preproduction units to selected partners, the Bike2 system is now ready for a broader public. The Bike2 system has no mechanical transmission by chain. It operates by pedals pushing a generator located in the crank-box. According to Bike2 its system “Excels by giving the cyclists a natural cycling experience with a feeling just like riding a conventional or pedal-assisted electric bicycle.”
Step-less digital gearing
Bike2 also claims that its Hybrid Drive System is the first e-bike system to have a completely step-less digital gearing and an automatic gear mode. This keeps the cadence at a fixed level despite different loads from the cyclist.
Other benefits of the Bike2 system are “the exclusion of many mechanical parts, simple and easy assembly and maintenance, as well as a smoother level of assistance compared to that of conventional e-bike systems.”
Multiple segments and users
Nils Sveje and Jesper Allan Hansen, founders of Bike2, claim that tests by interested e-bike makers helped them to develop a system that can be fine-tuned to multiple segments and users. ”Next to the tests done by producers of regular bicycles, we also have had a lot of interest from makers of other amazing types of pedal assisted vehicles; vehicles that hopefully will shape the future of transportation in our cities,” said the two company founders. They expect that their Bike2 system is to have a great impact on recumbents, cargo bikes and e-bikes for disabled and bike sharing fleets. Bike2 will present its chainless e-bike system at Eurobike 2017.


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There’s a new PUBG game coming for mobile dubbed PUBG: New State. Made from the ground up for mobile devices, PUBG Studio — the developers of the game — promises to push the barrier in terms of mobile graphics with their upcoming game with claims like “most realistic graphics available for mobile gaming.”
PUBG Mobile is arguably one of the most popular mobile games of all time. PUBG introduced mobile gamers to Battle Royale in a whole new way. Now PUBG has added a new smaller map that makes it easier to play quick games.
Tencent Games announced a huge update to its immensely popular game, PUBG Mobile, earlier this week. The new update started rolling out to iOS devices today and it is available for free. It brings an updated Miramar map, improved graphics, new weapons, protection from cheating, and Royale Pass Season 13.
As promised, Nintendo has released Mario Kart Tour for iOS and Android on the App Store and Google Play Store.
The latest number from Sensor Tower points to Epic Games’ Fortnite generating over $500 million in revenue in less than a year of its launch. The game officially launched in March 2018 and crossed the $500 billion revenue mark at the beginning of this year.
PUGB or Playerunknown’s Battle Ground is quickly becoming the most popular game in the world. You can’t miss it. You’ll find groups of people playing it in cafes, in street corners, across the world. It’s a really fun way to spend time with your friends or to kill some time at the end of the day.
Battle Royale games on smartphones have are the fashion right now. Both PUBG Mobile and Fortnite Mobile have turned out to be incredibly popular, with PUBG being particularly popular among Android users while iOS users preferring Fortnite. If you are new to the whole gaming scene and want to know which game is better for you — PUBG or Fortnite, read this comparison.
The word Pokémon itself makes you feel nostalgic and sends chills down the spine of 90s kids. Yes, it’s just a cartoon but it was so much more than that. It was something that brought a bunch of nerdy kids together.
Gameloft is here to introduce to you Asphalt 9: Legends, a free arcade racer which lets you race brand new cars and unlock newer series of tracks and cars for an added-on experience of racing altogether. And this time it’s a lot more exciting! There are brand new hypercars and more than 70 new tracks to play on!
Fortnite is one of the most popular multiplayer game on iOS right now. Fortnite: Battle Royale puts 100 players on an island. The last man standing is the winner. The concept is incredibly simple and it’s really fun to play. But if you have just started playing, you might be wondering why you’re getting killed so quickly. Like any game, there’s an art to winning a Fortnite battle. Once you’ve learned the basics of Fortnite gameplay, jump to our tips and tricks below to get to Victory Royale.


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WASHINGTON — A survey of U.S. chief executive officers shows a sharp drop in the number of large companies that plan to add jobs or hire more workers.
The Business Roundtable said Wednesday that only 29 percent of its member CEOs plan to increase hiring during the next six months. That’s down from 36 percent in June, when the group last released its quarterly survey. It’s also much lower than the 52 percent of CEOs in early 2011 who said they planned to boost hiring, the highest percentage since the survey began in 2002.
Jim McNerney, chairman of the Roundtable and CEO of Boeing Co., said CEOs are worried about the impact of budget cuts and tax increases that are set to take effect at the start of next year. The pending U.S. budget changes are known as the "fiscal cliff." Chief executives are also concerned about economic slowdowns in Europe and China.
The cliff "certainly throws cold water on long-term business planning," he said in a conference call with reporters.
Only 30 percent of CEOs expect to increase their investment in capital goods such as machinery, computers, or other equipment. Companies usually buy such goods when they are expanding. That’s down sharply from 43 percent three months ago.
Large-company CEOs are more pessimistic about their future sales and the overall U.S. economy, the survey found. While 58 percent expect their sales to increase during the next six months, that’s down from 75 percent in the June report. And the CEOs forecast the economy will expand just 1.9 percent this year, below their 2.1 percent forecast three months earlier.
Mr. McNerney said that when companies expect growth below 2 percent, "you’re not adding jobs." Instead, they will simply push their work forces to be more productive, he said.
The Roundtable's overall CEO Outlook index fell to 66, the lowest since the third quarter of 2009. Any reading above 50 suggests the economy is expanding.
The impact of the fiscal cliff could be offset after the presidential election if Congress postponed the cuts and tax increases and agreed on a longer-term framework for reducing the deficit, Mr. McNerney said.
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There can be little doubt that online security is a hot topic at the moment. The European Commission has recently spoken about its desire to put consumers at the centre of financial service delivery and says it wants to continue tightening up consumer protection.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Payments Council has discovered that concerns about security are among the most common barriers discouraging people from using the internet for shopping or banking.
So, how can businesses go about establishing strong security for their websites, and how can they inspire confidence among consumers?
The Great Online Migration
Technological development is changing the retail landscape for homes and businesses. More products and services are being bought and sold online, and it’s becoming difficult to underestimate the degree to which online activity is transforming the retail financial service market.
That’s because most consumers are quick to realise the benefits of performing their chores online. Once they begin using digital banking and purchasing services, they are likely to continue doing so.
What this means is that businesses will be judged on the experience of their digital delivery, and that retailers and small businesses will face increasing pressure to show that they are secure and safe to use.
The Payments Council has issued a new guide, ‘Pay Your Way’, as part of its consumer education campaign. This includes basic details as to what consumers should look for to ensure a website is secure.
As knowledge builds of online security, it’s going to become second nature to check for the presence of an SSL certificate from a respected provider such as Thawte.
So, where do small businesses begin, and what might influence their choice of security certificate?
Read More »
40% of homeowners believe they could do a better job of selling their own home than agents and save up to £6,000 on the cost of moving at the same time, according to a new property website.
John Candia, of the iProperty company, believes that with the right knowledge and a bit of effort, it will become progressively easier to bypass estate agents and make a considerable saving by listing your home yourself.
To find out more about how this is done, check out the discussion below with John and personal finance expert Holly Thomas. (We’ve condensed it down into a straightforward Q&A to make it easier to follow.)
Read More »
It’s been an eventful time for the credit card market. Competition is hotting up in the market for balance transfer cards (with the longest 0% offer now at a whopping 33 months). And constant technological advances are making credit cards both faster to use and multifunctional.
You may have heard that Transport for London are no longer accepting cash on London buses. If you haven’t got an Oyster card, a contactless card is your next best bet.
If you’re interested in the technology behind the construction of your credit card, it’s all listed here in this fascinating infographic provided by Sainsbury’s Bank.
Read More »
The Government has convinced major banks to support the creation of a new tool that will direct people towards the best value current account for their needs.
Britain’s biggest current account providers will help to create a tool that can read data from a customer’s existing current account and identify which are the best value accounts for that customer.
Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Santander have all agreed to participate in the new state-backed system.
How will it work?
Under the new system, customers will be able to export a year’s worth of transaction data from their account in a format that can be read by the comparison tool. Once the tool has analysed this data, it will then suggest the most suitable account from a wide range of providers.
So, a customer with high council tax or domestic bills might be recommended the Santander 123 account, which offers cashback on these categories of spending.
A customer with a high average in-credit balance is likely to be recommended an account that offers interest, such as TSB or Nationwide, which both offer 5% for at least the first 12 months.
On the other side of the coin, customers that dip into the red frequently should also be able to discover through the new tool whether there are accounts with cheaper overdraft facilities available.
Read More »
When we choose to switch banks, it’s normally due to one of a few factors. We may be fed up of poor customer service; we may be seduced by the rewards on offer from another provider; or we may prefer the convenience of a closer branch. The quality of mobile banking apps is rarely considered – but recent trends suggest that it’s about time we factor this in to our decision making.
There’s been a noticeable shift towards mobile banking in the last twelve months. The number of transactions conducted on a mobile app reached 18.6 million per week in 2013, according to the British Banking Association – more than double the levels seen in 2012.
Customers of the five largest banks – Barclays, HSBC, RBS, Lloyds and Santander – downloaded over 12.4 million apps last year. Santander, which has gained a lot of new customers since the new current account switching system launched, saw a sizeable increase of 40% in the number of people using its banking app.
Clearly, we’re becoming much happier with the idea of using a smartphone for our banking needs rather than whiling away our lunch hour at the local branch. And with new services like Paym set to transform the way that we exchange money with others, we can expect the world of mobile banking to keep growing exponentially for some time to come.
It stands to reason, then, that the functionality of a mobile app will soon begin to have a major effect on how and why people choose their bank account.
Read More »
Nowadays, it is becoming harder and harder to keep track of your finances. The average person has in excess of seven bills a month to pay, so it’s not surprising that many of us get confused about who is owed what and when. But help is at hand in the form of your smart phone (that you probably pay for monthly as well). James McAllister of UKPower takes us through the best money-saving apps.
We are starting to see an increase of advanced and helpful apps becoming available that help you not only keep track of your finances, but they can even schedule your outgoing payments for you. Below are our top 5 favourite apps to help you become better with money and keep on top if your monthly bills.
Read More »


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In other SeaTrade news:
▪ Regent Seven Seas announced that its new ship, the Seven Seas Navigator, will feature in-suite spas when it sets sail in July.
▪ Scenic, an Australian-based tour operator that owns two river cruising brands, Scenic and Emerald Waterways, is introducing a 228-passenger polar-class megayacht, Eclipse, due in 2018. The all-suite, all-balcony ship will feature butler service, two helicopters and a submarine. It will sail in polar regions with 200 passengers and in other regions.
▪ And for travelers who find cruising with only humans is so last year, after refurbishments this summer, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 will have space to bring along dogs, cats and even ferrets in one of its 22 on-board pet kennels.
Why should they be denied scuba diving, open bars and Mayan archeological sites just because they’re furbies?


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Research from Canalys says Microsoft could ship over 200 million Windows 8 tablets by 2016.
The report suggests Apple could see sizeable competition for the first time since … well, ever since it introduced the iPad.
I’d be tempted to say Windows is bigger than iOS, and therefore it may not be a surprise to think the operating system could provide strong tablet competition for Apple
I like Google’s Nexus 7 tablet. The hardware’s solid, if not terribly inspiring from Asus, the manufacturer that co-developed the device, and the 7-inch form factor isn’t something the market leader — Apple — offers. That may change; regardless, recent findings suggest Microsoft 8 could ship over 200 million tablets in four years after Windows 8 launches.
Canalys reported the findings and estimates Microsoft will ship 207 million Windows 8 tablets by 2016, half of amount of iPads. Microsoft is keen to popularize Windows on a tablet for the first time with the introduction of Modern UI, the tile-based user interface originally on Zune and iterated through Windows Phone.
Canalys added Android will take 35 percent of the tablet market. It added the user experience, despite the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and 4.1 Jelly Bean, needs to be drastically improved. The report referred to vendors, though, perhaps a reference to custom user experience like Sense on HTC’s devices.
Many users have wanted stock Android on devices without the need to jailbreak. It is unlikely HTC will remove Sense because it is the differentiating element from other devices. Google is the company that offers stock Android.
Canalys commented on Amazon offering tight integration of its service in the Kindle Fires. Amazon launched the Kindle Fire November last year and pitched the device as a content consumption device, not creating content. If you’re into Amazon Music and Books then the device is a must-have.
Regarding Windows 8, success depends on developers react to Modern UI. Microsoft is certainly pushing the developer support and it’s not a hard user interface to use; Microsoft iself published a comparison of iPad app and Windows 8 apps, and the design guidelines are similar while Windows 8 is more informative.
Windows 8 launches October 26. Apple is hosting an event at 10AM PDT tomorrow in Cupertino.


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The Transport Awards, now in its twelfth year, has again showcased the major success and best practise that is taking place within the freight industry at its annual awards ceremony. Organised by Transport Exchange Group, operator of the largest and fastest-growing freight exchanges within the UK, the event celebrated the greatest achievements amongst almost 3,000 courier and haulage member businesses over the past year.
The ceremony took place at the prestigious Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, with awards presented across five categories in front of more than 300 industry professionals and business leaders. The winners of four categories were nominated and voted for by the members of Courier Exchange and Haulage Exchange in recognition of their outstanding achievement in terms of customer service, operational performance and delivery success:
New Member of the Year – Eco-Link Logistics Ltd
Owner Driver of the Year – CB Couriers
European Member of the Year – Simpex Freight Management Ltd
Company of the Year – AMV Couriers
A special award for Network of the Year was also presented for the first time, won by Puro Ventures Ltd trading as Speedy Freight, to reward a longstanding member that has experienced significant expansion and success as a result of being an important part of either the Courier Exchange or Haulage Exchange.
Lyall Cresswell, Managing Director of Transport Exchange Group commented: “The Transport Awards are designed to highlight some of the excellent work that is taking place within the courier and haulage sectors by our exchange members. With more than 500,000 loads traded via our freight platform over the past year, this represents a significant community of like-minded organisations that are working together to achieve ongoing success. I would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s awards and thank everyone that has contributed to such an excellent event.”
Stay ‘in-the-loop’ with the latest news, products and services from Courier Exchange.
Well, it appears I may have to eat a small serving of my words this week. Why am I embarrassed, you might ask? Well, if you were paying attention you'll know that last week I published a post about how I was glad owner driver jobs were becoming more popular in order to offer some healthy competition to Royal Mail. I was saying I think it's a lesson for the Post Office not to get smug and to actually update their prices.Read the full article
In this post, we are looking at the great achievement by Scottish company DNDP in helping locals gain new skills and become highly employable in the logistics industry.Read the full article
With thousands of courier loads crisscrossing the country every day, many see the industry as a big environmental problem. However, as the FTA have shown, we are also the solution.Read the full article
There are a few issues that have had more airtime recently than the impending implementation of CAZs (Clean Air Zones) as part of the strategy to reduce emissions in our UK cities. While there’s absolutely no doubt a more environmentally friendly approach to managing congested cities is urgently required, there are many who believe that...Read the full article
Talk to us! On the phone, online or in person… we’re here to help.


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BUENA VISTA (WSLS 10) - Mundet Hermetite Inc. announced Wednesday it would close its plant in Buena Vista by September, 2015.
The manufacturing operation said the closure was a "major step to match production capacity with the current market demand for cigarette products in the US."
Chairman and CEO of Mundet, Stephen Young, said he regrets the impact the closure would have on the 46 hourly and salaried workers employed by the company and the community in Buena Vista.
The company said it would work with the United Steelworkers Union to help make the transition for employees go smoothly. It did not outline what that plan would entail.
Mundet Hermetite Inc. in Buena Vista has produced cigarette tipping paper for the U.S. cigarette market for 50 years. Its operations will be consolidated to the Colonial Heights and Surgoinsville, Tennessee manufacturing facilities.
Mundet, Inc. is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia and currently employs 260 employees.


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Private sector lender Yes Bank has shortlisted 12 startups for its Business Accelerator Program.
The final 12, were selected from the top 35 startups who showcased their solutions to the Yes Bank leadership team over a two-day pitching session. The month-long application phase of the program received 753 applicants around the world.
The Accelerator has been set up in collaboration with T Hub - India's fastest growing startup engine catalysing innovation, scale and deal flow and Anthill Ventures. LetsTalkPayments, a global platform for financial technology (Fintech) insights served as the knowledge partner.
The 12 startups selected will work across fintech domains like payments, lending, credit scoring, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and blockchain among many other fields.
They will go through a 15 week program which will involve 3 week onsite interactions at Mumbai and Hyderabad and 12 weeks offsite interactions, wherein the selected start-ups can continue to work from the home location.
Yes Bank will facilitate them with mentorship from industry experts to provide guidance, help them integrate their systems with the bank's platform and also give them access to their network of customers.The bank will also allow funding upto $1 million through VC partners without any equity commitment equity commitment
"Yes Fintech Accelerator takes forward YES BANK's A.R.T model – Alliances, Relationships Technology to provide innovating banking solutions to our customers and provides startups a platform for creating sustainable and market ready products. We believe that the 15 week program will provide an ideal springboard for these 12 startups to graduate from innovative products to scalable businesses with access to Yes Bank's digital banking infrastructure as well as our robust customer network," said Rana Kapoor, chief executive, Yes Bank.
- ICICI, Yes Bank ask BharatPe to stop taking deposits in their names
- Paytm says absolutely not interested in YES Bank stake
- View: India can use YES Bank debacle to chase China in crypto
- Fintech sector is back online after Yes Bank glitch
- Moneyless in Seattle, Yes Bank card holders send SOS
- Digital payments services hit as RBI puts Yes Bank under moratorium


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New year, new government (radical change, in fact) but same old way of looking at companies – searching for firms with wide economic moats. No matter how crazy Trump’s cabinet pickings will be, how radical his ideas for change may be, or how Russia might act, there will always be some that will be resilient to the noise.
Sometimes it’s not just companies that have moats, but entire industries. An example would be the payments network industry – Visa and Mastercard enjoy a virtual duopoly with very high barriers to entry. New entrants looking to compete in this industry must first comply with a myriad of financial regulations, then install expensive infrastructure and hope that financial institutions are willing to trust their payment flows with them, and then hope that merchants and consumers would bother to switch from Visa or Mastercard to them – relinquishing a ton of benefits for …Read the full article →


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Synchrony Financial, formerly GE Capital Retail Finance, has made “a strategic investment” in LoopPay, developer of a mobile phone add-on that lets US consumers make payments at merchants equipped with magnetic stripe card terminals. The amount of the investment has not been disclosed.
- Mozido buys CorFire
- Touch ID patent adds fingertip motion
- Brixton Pound to add NFC
- Mobile barcode scanning booms
- Iowa to launch mobile driving license


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Saga Egmont says the acquisition of Mexican audiobook publisher Cuántica Activa Audiolibros fits with its growth in Spanish book markets.
US books sales in 2020 were mixed, with AAP reporting trade book revenues up but declines in K-12 and higher education materials.
A rare benefit of COVID-19, the UK’s government finally–and suddenly–has wiped out the market’s punishing tax on digital publications.
Digital education content platform Snapplify plans to use this new round of funding to ‘expand more aggressively into new markets’
With Brexit looming larger as the UK’s new government takes charge, the publishing industry steps up its drive to drop the VAT on ebooks and digital content
They’re reading an average 73 hours per year, says Canada’s big ebook and audiobook service, and Rakuten Kobo sees a lot of US politics on its most-read lists in 2018.
Taking free promotions beyond the “Micro Monday’ push-notification stage, Serial Box rolls out a day-long series of ‘Exquisite Corpse’ installments on Friday.
Canadians say they listen to audiobooks while doing other things. In 2018, 54 percent of those surveyed by BookNet Canada prefer to listen on their phones.
Together with Bookwire, CB, and the International Publishing Distribution Association, Rüdiger Wischenbart has created a new ‘European Ebook Barometer’ to track digital activity in four key markets.
A new decision allows EU member states to align VAT rates on print books and ebooks if they choose to, instead of a 15% minimum for electronic services.


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Weld County Sheriff’s Office seeks information about fraud suspects
Published on July 01, 2022
The Weld County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about two people suspected of defrauding a local business out of close to $30,000 of steel.
About 4 p.m. last Friday, deputies responded to a steel business in unincorporated Weld County north of Greeley on a report of a cold theft. The business owner reported he had been defrauded out of more than $27,000 worth of steel.
The owner told deputies a man he knew as George Smith of George’s Construction had made four significant rebar purchases during the last several weeks. The purchases were made over the phone with a credit card and the material was picked up by another man, known to the business as Carlos Martinez.
The purchases were later flagged by the credit card company as fraud. The credit card company subsequently canceled the payments.
The suspects are using fake names and disguised their true cellphone numbers using an app. However, the business was able to provide security camera video of “Martinez” and the vehicle he drove to pick up the rebar.
He is described as white or Latino of average height and build. He was last seen at the business wearing a white shirt, blue jeans and a light blue baseball hat.
The suspect vehicle is described as a black, newer model Dodge Ram four-door pickup with a toolbox in the bed. It featured a white logo on the rear passenger side door. The logo possibly contains the letters “JL.” The pickup was towing a standard, black dump trailer.
Anyone with information about “Carlos Martinez,” “George Smith” or the pickup is asked to call Deputy Ryan Baer at (970) 400-4026.
Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 356-4015 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward.


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Scalpers on eBay may have collectively earned over $43 million in profit by reselling new PlayStation 5 consoles and next-generation PC graphics cards to desperate consumers.
The estimate comes from a Chicago data engineer named Michael Driscoll, who created a computer script to track eBay sales and plot them on a graph. On Monday, he told PCMag the findings show scalpers have made an estimated $92 million in sales and $43.7 million in profit since September by hawking 14 different products, including AMD’s Ryzen 5000 CPUs.
It’s no secret that scalpers have been reselling the items for twice or even three times their normal price. However, Driscoll’s analysis, which was first posted last week, indicates thousands of buyers have been willing to pay the high prices.
For example, scalpers have sold at least 32,000 PlayStation 5 consoles on eBay, according to his computer script. The median prices have reached $937 for the digital PS5 and $1,021 for the disc-based version—or over twice the normal cost.
On the graphics card front, scalpers have sold 15,224 units of Nvidia’s RTX 3000 series with the bulk of sales occurring for the RTX 3080. Meanwhile, sales for AMD’s new GPUs, the Radeon RX 6800s, have only reached over 450 units.
The estimate from Driscoll’s analysis is likely a conservative one; his computer script only tracks eBay sales in the US, and doesn't account for other activity occurring on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. So the scalpers are probably making significantly more in sales, although eBay will also take a 10 percent cut of the revenue.
In a Reddit post, Driscoll also pointed out he's only tracking sold listings on eBay—not currently active listings. In addition, he's been filtering out suspected fake sales by removing listings that were too low or far too high above the normal pricing.
“I bet it'll be over $100 million (in sales) by the end of this week,” he added in a separate post on Reddit.
Unfortunately, limited supplies are expected to persist into early next year. The only good news for consumers is the pricing for AMD’s Ryzen 5000 chips have started to fall on eBay. “All of the CPUs are on a downward pricing trend, with the 5800X recently below the break-even point for casual scalpers,” Driscoll wrote. “Likely the casual scalpers will stop buying new 5800Xs soon and try to sell off their stock.
If you want to score the products without paying a scalper, we suggest you try an inventory-checking service, which can immediately alert you when a retailer has new stock of the item.


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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- October is an interesting month for shopping - sandwiched somewhere between Back to School and Black Friday.
But our friends at DealNews say depending on what you are in the market for, there can be some big deals!
First, cars. A lot of dealerships are trying to clear out the 2016 models to make way for next year's models.
That means you can do a little negotiating this month.
Same goes for things like patio furniture and camping gear. Seasonal items will see prices slashed by as much at 70 percent this month.
Or maybe you're looking for a little getaway. It's the off season in Europe, which means prices are slashed.
DealNews say jeans are still on sale from Back to School and HDTVs are going on sale ahead of Black Friday.
But there are some deals which you should wait for Black Friday to buy.
They say November will bring the year's best prices on appliances, winter apparel, most Apple devices and electronics.
And of course - right now it's all about Halloween shopping, but if you can, try to wait until as close to October 31st as possible. As the holiday nears, the prices are slashed as much as 80 percent off.
What's the Deal: Best products to buy in October


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ADIDAS CLIMACOOL 2/17
Adidas has revealed a new ClimaCool 2/17 sihouette that mimics the comfortable EQT. This 2/17 model features a Clima Cool hollow mesh material that procides breathability throughout the sneaker.
Coming in a few new color ways Blue, Orange and Black we have no confirmed release date, only images right now. Expect these to be a lot more comfortable than the hailed EQT model. It’s exciting to see the battle between sneaker companies continue.


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Bashas' and Forager have launched a pilot at the retailer’s stores across Arizona to significantly increase its number of suppliers and product offerings of locally sourced food.
Bashas’ has teamed with Forager, a company that connects local farmers with grocers, on a new pilot partnership at the retailer’s stores across Arizona to significantly increase its number of suppliers and product offerings of locally sourced food.
“Partnering with Forager will support our expansion of suppliers and products, focusing on growing ‘hyperlocal’ sourcing to deliver on our customers’ expectations for local food direct to our stores as part of our ongoing commitment as Arizona’s Hometown Grocer,” noted Steve Mayer, SVP of merchandising, marketing and procurement of Bashas’. “Forager can help us scale a large local program across our entire network of stores after our pilot launch, and we are excited about the budding partnership and the positive impact that we can make in our local communities.”
After re-engaging widely with farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA) and e-commerce beginning last spring amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers expect to see more local options across all categories at their neighborhood supermarkets.
“We are excited to partner with Bashas’ to help bring consumers closer to the wonderful and growing diversity of local growers and makers in Arizona,” said Joe Blunda, CEO of Portland, Maine-based Forager, which “allows grocers to overcome the challenges that have hindered their local purchasing in the past to finally meet consumers’ demand for locally sourced food. We continue to close the gap between grocers and suppliers to build direct relationships, and help our partners like Bashas’ build a lasting competitive advantage that will drive foot traffic into stores to get these products as society continues to reopen in the coming months.”
According to a recent Forager survey, 93% of Americans think that grocers have a key part to play in supporting local farmers and food producers.
Providing efficient ordering processes and program management for independent grocers, Forager has doubled both its served store footprint and active supplier base since this past summer, adding 50 new vendors across both fresh and nonperishable suppliers and product bases. The company works with retailers in 13 states, including New England grocer Roche Bros., with hundreds of local farmers, fishers, and makers in its network, and considerable additional growth of the program is anticipated this year.
Bashas’ Market Inc. is a family-owned company based in Chandler, Arizona. Its brands include Food City, AJ’s Fine Foods, Eddie’s Country Store, and both Bashas’ and Bashas’ Diné supermarkets. The company is No. 73 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s list of the top food retailers in North America.


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Former Freedom Flights sales and marketing director Phil Norris has launched an online booking system that helps agents to contract directly with hotels.
Swapsystems.com, which Norris claims is the ‘Facebook’ of the travel industry, allows agents to find new hotels to work with overseas. Many of the hotels are small independent properties that do not currently sell through tour operators or bed banks.
A total of 100 agents and 500 hotels have signed up to use the system since it launched three weeks ago, but only 180 hotels are so far live on the site.
Norris said: “We want to help agents who haven’t done any direct contracting by giving them the tools to do it.”
Properties in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt are currently available, and Norris eventually hopes to offer worldwide product. He said: “This is an opportunity to bring hotels back into the market that were featured by Kosmar or Libra.”
Hotels will pay €50 a month, while agents will pay 1% commission on revenue on bookings made through the system.
The system, which was designed by Swapsystems.com chief executive Chris Ziogas, is also available to bed banks and small tour operators.


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Girl Scout cookie season is upon us, but you might not be greeted by the usual friendly faces this year.
Instead, check your door to see if a neighborhood Scout left a hang tag. It will be your key to cookie shopping, with each one featuring a link to a Girl Scout’s digital cookie website.
For those who don't know a Scout personally, co-workers and friends may know one who can help. Otherwise, they can contact email@example.com and pass their information on to a Girl Scout family.
Cookie-buyers are encouraged to place their orders virtually during the pre-order period, which started Friday and runs through Feb. 21. While online ordering is open until March 31, supplies of certain cookies (S’mores, Toffee-tastic) are limited and may not available later.
Also, pre-ordering helps troops manage inventory more easily.
Free delivery will start in mid-March, Jackson Girl Scout Service Unit Manager Margaret Gordon said. For those who need their cookies sooner, a direct shipping option is available at a cost.
“Deliveries are part of the sale,” Gordon said. “It’s a lot of work for the girls, but they’re learning a lot of good skills. ... And they also get some fun rewards, depending on how much they sell.”
Digital sales help protect girls from the coronavirus and so will be the primary selling method this year, but a few cookie booths — digital and in-person — will set up starting March 25.
“Troops are girl-led and family-led,” Gordon said, “so if a troop and its families are comfortable with in-person selling, we might have some physical booths like we did last year.” Although, she added, precautions such as social distancing, masking, hand sanitizing and contactless payments will be practiced.
Girl Scout cookie sales directly benefit area troops. In the past, funds have sponsored summer camp experiences. The sales experience also teaches entrepreneurial skills like goal setting, decision making, people skills, money management and business ethics.
Watching your sugar but still want to support Girl Scouts? Donate cookies to “hometown heroes” on the cookie websites under the “Gift of Caring” program, which gives girls a chance to deliver to local first responders and law enforcement.
“We donated a bunch of cookies to St. John’s last spring,” Gordon said. “One troop gave a bunch of cookies to animal welfare organizations. And I hear Search and Rescue is the often popular and grateful recipient of these donated cookies.”


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Auto executives see a North American industry on the rise, with domestic carmakers stabilizing their market share, and rising car sales meaning a need for new auto plants. That’s the takeaway from the consulting firm KPMG’s annual study of auto executives.
“This is probably the most optimistic, and certainly gives a very strong view towards a stable industry, and an industry that’s gone through a lot of difficulty, a lot of cost cutting, but those programs are really taking effect,” says Betsy Meter, the audit partner in charge of KPMG’s Detroit auto practice.
The need for new capacity is particularly acute in North America, where carmakers have been hiring new workers and adding shifts. Seventy percent of the auto executives studied say they expect new investment in the next five years.
“Capacity remains an issue globally, but the U.S., back to selling 15 million cars a year, is seeing increased investment interest from global automakers who continue to bring new plants online despite any capacity concerns,” said Gary Silberg, national automotive industry leader for KPMG LLP. “Companies in Europe and Japan may be struggling to ‘right-size’ the supply-and-demand equation, but the trend in automotive right now is to bring the supply closer to where the customers are. Just look at the number of foreign automakers and suppliers who’ve announced plans to build new plants here.”
KPMG’s Betsy Meter says the expansion in North America comes as car companies look to close plants in Europe, where sales have plunged.
“They are investing where the demand drives it,” she said. “So, you’re seeing companies come into the U.S. and announcing that they are going to expand and add capacity here.” This comes as auto executives feel that Ford, GM and Chrysler are now in better shape and have now stabilized their market share.
“I think the executives really feel the three have made improvements in quality, cost structure,” said Meter. “Their market share will remain consistent as long as the product offering is there and the quality continues to remain.”
The KPMG study also showed a more “back to basics” approach when it comes to fuel economy, with auto executives feeling that hybrid and electric vehicles would remain a fairly small part of the market through at least 2025. KPMG’s Gary Silberg says most of the fuel economy gains will come from improvements in the internal combustion engine.
“When you look at the current MPG estimates for new cars, it’s very evident that automakers are continuing to significantly improve engine efficiency,” he said. “Electric vehicles are still in their infancy and consumer demand so far has been modest due to concerns over infrastructure, battery costs and range. Today’s combustion engines can continue to offer consumers the fuel efficiency and performance they desire, and what’s clear is that the internal combustion engine is not going anywhere anytime soon.”
For their 2013 study, KPMG interviewed 200 mid-level auto executives ,including 22 from North America. The interviews were conducted in November.
KPMG has been doing this study since 1999.
Meter says the resurgence of the North American Auto Industry should translate to better profits going forward. “The results that the companies are going to be releasing are another indication of a strengthening industry.”
Jeff Gilbert, CBS Local.


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KYLIE Jenner is following in big sister Kim’s flying footsteps – taking her private jet out for a pricey short range trip.
According to flight tracking websites, Kylie flew on her $72 million dollar plane from Camarillo to Van Nuys.
That’s a distance of just 45 マイル. And a flight time of under 15 分.
It’s also a total of 127 gallons of jet fuel used, and a full ton of CO2 emissions.
“The fact that I’m still being told that me taking shorter showers, turning off the lights, and recycling is going to do anything to save the planet…” 一人が書いた.
“How many short showers, dark nights, and recycled bottles will it take to offset a 15 minute flight?”
別の合意, 尋ねる: “この時点で, why does (カイリー) even have so many cars?”
One fan was gobsmacked to realize how common these short jaunts are: “For some reason in my mind I pictured them just using (their planes) for vacations and stuff… not frequently taking 15 min flights from one California city to the next.”
And one person said it all comes down to class: “The elite have us average peasants thinking it’s our fault the environment is turning to crap.
“They will say and do anything to continue their life of luxury & one sure fire way to do that is to manipulate the masses and make them argue with each other while they sit back and reap the benefits.
“This is actually disgusting of Kylie and the family in general. They are not the only ultra wealthy either, they are just more flamboyant when it comes to showing off their glamorous lives!”
The outrage comes just a few weeks after Kim was slammed for a similar flight pattern.
四月に 30, the SKIMS founder was slammed for taking her multi-million dollar private jet on a 17-minute flight, covering a mere 35 マイル, while producing a reported 2 tons of CO2 emissions.
“Camarillo to Van Nuys is a 40-60 分. ドライブ,” one person posted. “If she really needed to save that time then a helicopter would have more than sufficed.”
While another agreed: “Environmental destruction > 40 minute drive I guess?”
One follower asked how the entire family is not ostracized for their behaviors: “ザ・ environmental destruction of the Kardashian family is unfathomable.”
Both Kylie and Kim fly the friendly skies in style.
Kylie bought herself a $72.8 百万 pink private jet as a birthday pesent in 2020.
The makeup mogul purchased the Global Express jet before Covid and used it for her 23rd birthday this past August.
The private plane has head-to-toe pink decorations to match the star’s signature color scheme.
ジェット機のキャビンは 8 足幅と 59.6 足, 持っている 28 窓と2つの巨大なピンクの急降下線が体にアクセントを与えます.
飛行機はエンターテイメント スイートで富を自慢します, マスタースイート, 2つのバスルーム, ギャラリー, 乗務員休憩所, クローゼットと荷物用の十分な収納スペース.
The jet has been named “Kim Air” and the guests were greeted with a welcome mat bearing the name as they boarded the plane.
They had a luxury breakfast in their seats at tables decorated with textured nude placemats and cream vases with roses.
While Kim dropped millions in order to purchase the plane, maintaining the G650ER will also come at a major cost.
For every 200 hours spent flying per year, the TV star is expected to spend $400k in fuel costs and another $100k for maintenance.